


When It Rains, It Pours

by its_me_that_writes



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Friends to Lovers, Lance has a girlfriend, M/M, Roommates, Roommates to lovers, for now, i'll tag more things as i think of them, they were roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-03-10 01:03:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18928144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/its_me_that_writes/pseuds/its_me_that_writes
Summary: Lance and Keith are roommates and live their mostly separate lives peacefully.  That is, until Lance gets the opportunity of a lifetime to live in the most prestigious apartment community in the city. Suddenly, after a little mistake, their lives become a lot more involved.





	1. Keith

A groan erupts across the room. 

“Just go! You know you want to go, so just go,” Keith says with exasperation. 

Lance has been sitting on the window sill, face pressed against the glass, groaning at the rain for the last hour. He groans again and Keith rolls his eyes. 

If he knew Lance was going to be this dramatic, he would have never answered that ad. As it was, he’d been desperate for a place to live and Lance’s ad offered the cheapest rent with the fewest requirements:

* Gender doesn’t matter

* Animals fine

* Must love music

Two of those weren’t even requirements. As for the last one, Lance did play music frequently - every morning while making breakfast and every time he cleaned the apartment. The ad said nothing about managing Lance’s boredom. It isn’t that he can’t manage his boredom by himself, it’s just that he prefers to manage it with others. Usually with whomever is around, which is most frequently Keith. 

Lance groans again and Keith sighs. “You love the rain, Lance. So what’s the problem? Just go.” 

“Yeah, but _you_ don’t like the rain.” Lance pouts. 

“Why do I have to go with you to Hunk’s? Ask your girlfriend to go.” 

“Eh,” is Lance’s unenthused response. “She’s probably not awake yet.” 

Keith idly scratches at Kosmo’s head, the puppy occasionally trying to nip at his fingers. “Don’t you both have to be at work soon?” 

Lance works at the local news station as a junior reporter and small story researcher. He’s trying to get a promotion and has been taking extra shifts, which is fine by Keith. He could use the extra peace and quiet to work on his dissertation. 

“She has the day off,” Lance says. He groans again and looks over at Keith. “Please go with me to Hunk’s? I really want some coffee.” 

“We have coffee here.” 

“It’s not the same.” Lance is actively whining now and Keith knows it’s not going to stop until he gives in, but he’ll be damned if he gives in without gaining something in return. 

“Fine,” he says with a sigh, “but you’re taking Kosmo on his morning walk for the next two days.” 

“Deal!” 

Lance practically leaps up and runs to the door, quickly slipping on his shoes and grabbing an umbrella. Keith takes his time. He goes into his room, grabs a jacket and his wallet, comes back out, carefully puts his shoes on, and picks up his own umbrella. All the while, Lance is bouncing up and down on his feet, buzzing with anticipation. 

“You sure you need coffee?” Keith asks, eyeing him. 

“Need and want are two different things. Let’s go!” 

Keith shakes his head and follows Lance out the door. So much for working on his dissertation. By the time they reach Hunk’s café his shoes are soaked and he’s regretting the decision to come. At least he gets to sleep in for the next two mornings. The bell on the door jingles when they step through the door. 

“Be right there!” comes a call from the back. Less than a minute later Hunk pushes through the kitchen door and into the front of the shop. “Hey, guys. I was just making some danishes in the back.” 

“You should add scones to the menu,” Keith quips. He’s joking, but Hunk doesn’t seem to notice. 

“I should.” Hunk muses. “Maybe some souffles, too.” 

“Anything you add to the menu will be delicious, Hunk,” Lance tells him. “Everything you make is perfection.” 

Lance is the most positive person Keith knows, nothing can get him down for long. In the seven months they’ve been sharing an apartment and coming to this café, Lance has only had encouraging things to say to his friend. 

“Coffee to go, please,” says Keith. 

“To go?” Lance and Hunk both respond. 

“You can’t stay?” Hunk asks, turning to Lance. 

“I’m sure he can,” Keith cuts in. “I’m not, though.” Lance’s face scrunches in disappointment. “I told my friend I’d meet her for lunch.” He’s lying, but he’s sure Katie won’t mind. He just doesn’t want to sit and listen to Lance and Hunk talk about plans for the café for over an hour. 

“It’s eight a.m.,” Lance remarks as Hunk pours coffee into a paper cup. 

“She eats an early lunch.” 

Lance eyes him suspiciously, a small frown curving his lips. Hunk passes the coffee cup across the counter and money changes hands. 

“Don’t be late to work!” Keith calls over his shoulder as he pushes open the door. He smirks to himself and swears he can feel Lance’s disapproving frown follow him down the street.

 

— — —

 

Katie is hunched over an assortment of papers, pen in hand, and actively scribbling notes when Keith arrives at her lab. He pauses in the doorway and reaches out to knock softly on the open door. 

“Keith,” she says as she looks briefly up at him. 

He smiles. Of course she’s not surprised to see him, she never is. In the years they’ve known each other, he’s made a habit of randomly stopping by. 

“Busy?” He asks. 

“Not really, just working on reports.” She sets down her pen and rubs her eyes. “What brings you here? Must be good for you to trek through the rain.” 

“Eh. I was already out.” Keith shrugs. “Wanna get lunch?” 

“Keith, it’s nine in the morning.” 

“Brunch?” 

She rolls her eyes and chuckles. “I can’t just take off from work, but you’re welcome to hang out here.” 

Keith doesn’t have much to say, but they chat idly about his work in the afterschool program and about the projects Katie is working on. It’s nice. It’s good to catch up. Even though it’s only been two weeks, it feels like it’s been too long. 

“Hey, Pidge! You joining us for lunch?” One of Katie’s coworkers shouts from across the hall after an hour. “We’re getting Mexican!” 

Katie groans. “No, thanks,” she shouts back. “I hate the Mexican place they go to,” she mumbles to Keith. 

“Pidge?” Keith raises an eyebrow in question. He’s never heard that nickname before. 

“Ugh. Don’t ask.” 

“Too late.” 

She levels him with a flat stare before shooting her eyes toward the ceiling and huffing a sigh. “It’s a terrible story.” She turns back to her work. 

“So? Tell me anyway.” 

“It’s really not funny. I was feeding the pigeons one day, just brainstorming ideas. Kinkade, one of the other researchers, saw me and started calling me ‘Pigeon.’ Then ‘Pigeon’ changed to ‘Pidge,’ some joke about my height, or something; and they haven’t stopped calling me ‘Pidge’ since. I hate it.” 

“You’re right, it’s not funny, but I am definitely going to call you that from now on.” Keith can’t restrain his grin. 

“Please don’t,” Katie moans. 

Keith’s smile only grows.

 

— — —

 

He’s exhausted when he gets back to the apartment that night. He pushes open the door and shoves off his shoes. When he rounds the corner into the kitchen, Lance is sitting at their small dining table. 

“Keith, we should talk,” he says.


	2. Lance

“Is this about how I didn’t stay at the café with you?” Keith asks.

Lance sighs. That _was_ annoying, especially since Keith had roped him into waking up early to take Kosmo on a walk for the next two mornings. Lance was not looking forward to that.

“No. But we should talk about that, too.”

“We agreed that I would go _to_ Hunk’s with you. You didn’t say anything about staying,” Keith starts, defending himself. “A deal’s a deal, Lance. You still have to walk Kosmo.”

“Fine. Whatever,” Lance says shaking his head. “This is important, Keith.”

Keith pulls back a little and inspects Lance’s face. Lance tries to remain neutral, but he’s practically buzzing. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and he’s finding it hard to keep his excitement in check.

Keith finally sits down at the seat across the table and clasps his hands in front of him. He looks nervous.

“Alright. What is it Lance?” He says. He sounds nervous.

Great. The last thing Lance wants is for Keith to be nervous, especially since Lance is exactly the opposite.

 

******  
_“So, Lance, isn’t your lease up soon?” Hunk had asked him earlier that day._

_Lance had been eating a fresh danish. It was as delicious as it smelled._

_“Yeah. In about three months,” he had responded._

_“Great,” Hunk had said, which seemed weird. At least until he said the next few words and Lance literally felt like the world around him slowed: “because I just heard that there is an opening at Altea.”_

_“There is?!” Lance had felt like he was shouting._

_Altea is only the most prestigious, most exclusive apartment community in the city. To even call them apartments is a bit insulting, they’re more like townhomes. It’s almost impossible to get in. You have to apply for acceptance, and then you have to be interviewed and reviewed. And there is almost never an opening. Lance has wanted to live there ever since he was a kid._

_Lance had barely finished his danish before he was running out the door, yelling a rushed goodbye to Hunk. He had to file the application immediately. There was no time to waste._  
******

 

He’d hardly been able to think of anything else while he was at work. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and Lance hopes Keith will be okay with the change.

“Our lease on this apartment is up in just under three months,” Lance starts. “Hunk just told me this morning that there is an opening at Altea. I submitted an application.”

Keith just sits there, his face now blank.

“It’s a bit pricier on the rent, but I’ve always wanted to live there,” Lance continues.

Keith still hasn’t said anything. He hasn’t even moved.

“I know I make more money than you, and this move is my idea, so I’m willing to pay more of the rent…” Lance is starting to get worried. “Keith?” he asks.

“Yeah?”

Finally, a word.

“Are you okay?”

“You’re not telling me I need to find a new place?” Keith asks tentatively.

“What? No. I mean, someday. I can certainly see Flor and I living there together one day, but you’re more than welcome to keep being my roommate until then.” Lance feels like he’s rambling, and Keith’s eyes look unfocused. Lance sees him take a breath.

“Ok.”

“Ok? You’re okay with moving if we get the spot? Because I can’t afford that place all on my own, at least not yet, and I really want to live there.” Lance says.

“Yeah.” Keith nods. “I’m okay with moving. Who am I to deny your dream?” He still looks unfocused. “They allow dogs, right?”

Lance laughs. “Of course, they allow dogs!” He can hardly contain his excitement.

 

— — —

 

Only two days pass before Lance hears back from the Altea review board:

> “Dear Mr. McClain,
> 
> We have reviewed your application and the financial statements you provided. It is our conclusion that you and Mr. Kogane meet the necessary requirements of our community. We would like to invite you to join us for an interview, this Saturday at 10 in the morning, to discover if you are an ideal addition for Altea.
> 
> Cordially, the Altea Review Board.”

Lance is buzzing. He feels like his skin is on fire. He can hardly sit still. Two more days until the interview. That’s all. Just two more days and he’ll be one step closer to the home of his dreams!

 

— — —

 

“Hey, Hunk!” Lance shouts in greeting. His voice probably far too loud for the empty coffee shop, but he can’t help himself. He’s too excited. Today is the day!

Hunk emerges from the kitchen, his apron dusted with flour.

“Good morning you two,” Hunk says cheerfully. “Today is the big day, right?”

“Yes! I’m so excited!” Lance can feel his energy levels rising as his excitement and anticipation build.

Keith is not nearly as excited, his expression remaining passive, but Lance doesn’t care. He can be excited for the both of them.

They eat breakfast and have their morning coffee at one of the booths, and Lance reviews with Keith the list of things the Altea board usually looks for in new residents. The morning rush is going to be coming in soon and Lance wants to make sure that Keith understands everything that’s on the list, free from distractions.

By the time nine o’clock rolls around the café is packed and Lance and Keith are on their way to the interview. They arrive early, but Lance doesn’t mind. Better to be early, rather than late. At five minutes until ten, a very tall woman with striking platinum blonde hair comes to greet them.

“Hello!” Her voice is cheerful and she speaks with an elegant accent. “My name is Allura. I will be showing you around our lovely community and conducting your interview. Which one of you is Lance and which one of you is Keith?”

Lance and Keith introduce themselves and handshakes are exchanged. 

While they are guided on their tour, Allura asks them questions. Keith lets him answer most of the questions, much to Lance’s relief. He’s been practicing his answers since he was a child.

The community is even better than Lance had imagined it would be. It’s beautiful. Lance has already started making plans for his future here: this would be an amazing place to raise kids, he and Flor could get married here, they could host holiday parties…

“Yes,” Lance says aloud, nodding his head. He’s wrapped up in his thoughts.

He’s shaken from them when Keith shoots him an alarmed and incredulous look. His eyes are asking Lance for answers, but Lance doesn’t know the question.

“That’s fantastic! We prefer to have married couples here. When’s the big day?” Allura says. She’s beaming at them.

It’s only then that Lance realizes he was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he’d inadvertently answered a question Allura had asked them. A question about marriage. And judging by the look on Keith’s face, she had asked if _they_ were getting married… and Lance had said yes.

Lance’s mind draws a blank as he sees his chances of ever living here start to slip from his grasp. He has to fix this. He has to make sure he doesn’t lose this chance.

“We’re not sure yet.” The words seem to blurt out of his mouth. His feet seem to move of their own accord, walking toward Keith. He wraps an arm around his shoulders. “We just got engaged.”

“What are you doing?” Keith hisses at him, voice low.

Lance isn’t entirely sure. He just knows he can’t lose this opportunity. He can feel the fake smile plastered on his face.

“Oh! Congratulations! ” Allura says. “Do you have a wedding planner?” She’s almost bouncing with excitement.

“Uh, no,” Lance says. He’s starting to feel dazed. He can feel Keith’s intense gaze on him.

“I’m also a wedding planner! I would _love_ to help plan your wedding!” He hears Allura chirp. “It might also help with your application,” she adds on in a conspiratorial whisper, “but don’t tell anyone I said that.”

“That would be wonderful!” Lance re-enforces the fake smile on his face and glances over at Keith with pleading eyes. Keith stares for a moment before his face breaks into a grin, and he looks over at Allura.

“Yes! We’d love that!” He says, perhaps a bit too cheerfully.

Lance lets out a breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding and feels himself relax a bit. He knows he’s going to get an earful about this from Keith later, but right now he’s just glad Keith is playing along.

“Fantastic!” Allura says and smiles at them. “I can’t wait!”

“Me either!” Keith says wrapping his arm around Lance’s waist and squeezing a little too hard.

Lance hides his wince with a smile.

It’ll be okay. They’ll figure this out somehow.

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you have questions or comments, let me know!


	3. Keith

_What the hell._

They finally start making their way back to the clubhouse. Keith glares at the back of Lance’s head.

This whole thing had turned into one massive disaster. One moment they are looking at some really nice facilities, being asked some delicately worded questions by a very nice, very tall, very blonde woman; and the next moment Keith is somehow ‘engaged’ to Lance.

 _What the **hell**._ Keith had only gone along with it because Lance looked so desperate, but now…

“What the hell!” he hisses at Lance as they walk.

Lance grimaces.

“You have a girlfriend, Lance.” Keith keeps his voice at a harsh whisper. They’re several paces behind Allura, and Keith feels like shouting, but he doesn’t.

“I know,” Lance whispers.

“Why didn’t you say you were planning on marrying her?”

“I didn’t hear the question. And marriage with Flor is still a long way off.”

“Lance!”

“You owe me, Keith!”

“What!?”

Now Keith is livid. He doesn’t owe Lance anything. And even if he does, he definitely doesn’t owe him enough for _this._

“I walked your dog at five in the morning for two days, even though you know full well you tricked me into it! And it’s not even the first time you’ve done stuff like that. You can at least do this for me! Play along until we get this apartment! Please.” Lance doesn’t try to hide the desperation in his tone. His eyes are piercing, pleading. “You won’t even have to do that much.”

Keith scowls at Lance. He knew Lance would bring that back up, and he’s right, Keith has pulled stuff like that in the past. Lance has almost always let it slide. But still...

Keith shoots a glance in Allura’s direction.

“You agreed to have a wedding planner, Lance.”

“I know.”

“So? What’s your plan for that?”

“I don’t know, Keith.” Lance confesses, but his eyes are still pleading. “Maybe after we get the place we can stage a convincing break-up.”

Keith groans and his face scrunches in distaste.

“Please, Keith.”

“Fine,” he spits, “but only until this application thing is over.”

Lance looks relieved. It only adds to Keith’s irritation.

“And you’re paying for any wedding planning stuff,” Keith adds on.

“Deal.”

“I’m still not happy with you,” Keith says as he pushes past Lance and tries to put some distance between them. If Lance responds, he doesn’t hear it.

 

— — —

 

Keith is still pissy when they get back to Hunk’s café.

His foul mood must be evident on his face because Hunk asks him if everything is okay.

“Not really, Hunk,” Keith growls casting a glare in Lance’s direction. Lance winces.

“What happened? Did it not go well?” Hunk asks, clearly concerned.

Keith rolls his eyes.

“Ask him,” he says, leveling Lance with another glare before trudging away to sit at a booth.

Hunk means well, but he was Lance’s friend first. Keith has only known Hunk for seven months. In all that time, they haven’t gotten that close. Hunk has always been nice to Keith, but he’s Lance’s friend more than he’s Keith’s.

Keith drops down into a booth and looks back over at the counter. Lance and Hunk are having a very animated, but hushed, argument. Lance is waving his arms around and Hunk is looking at him disapprovingly. Suddenly Hunk holds up both his hands and gestures towards the booth for Lance to go sit down.

Lance trudges over and drops into the seat across from Keith. A minute later Hunk sets a plate of doughnuts on the table and slides in next to Lance. Keith turns his head to look out the window.

“Lance told me what happened,” Hunk says, breaching the tense silence. Keith doesn’t say anything. “Lance can be a little rash and he doesn’t always think things through.”

Keith feels a smile start to curve his lips and he looks back over toward Hunk. To say that Lance doesn’t always think things through is an understatement; this disaster is only the latest chapter in seven months worth of stories. Keith steals a glance at Lance. His face is scrunched in a grimace.

This particular situation is a lot more involved than Lance’s usual blunders. Most of Lance’s impulsive actions involve things like rearranging the furniture or the kitchen, a sudden and unplanned party, ordering a new couch and not being there to help when it’s delivered… the list goes on. Needing Keith to be his fake fiancé so that he can get his dream apartment is very new, but not necessarily unsurprising.

“I think it’s really nice that you are willing to help Lance get the home of his dreams, even if he put his foot in his mouth and roped you into a weird situation,” Hunk continues. “You’re a good guy, Keith.” Keith frowns.

“Yeah. It’s the least I could do,” Keith says, parroting Lance’s earlier words.

“Actually, I think you’re doing quite a lot,” Hunk replies. “More than most people would.”

“I’ve put up with Lance’s nonsense before, what’s a couple weeks for this?” Keith is still a little bitter.

“We should make sure we know as much about each other as possible,” Lance chimes in.

“What else is there to really know?” Keith asks. “We’ve been living together for a while now. I think I might know more about you than Flor does.”

Lance frowns.

“Still, Keith,” he protests, “if we’re going to pull this off, we should know everything we can about each other.”

“You know what? That’s great. When you figure out how to do that without driving each other insane, let me know.”

Keith doesn’t wait for a response before sliding out of the booth and making his way out of the café.

 

— — —

 

Keith slowly approaches Katie’s office in the lab. He’s pretty sure that she’ll still be there. He really wants someone to vent to. He pokes his head into the open doorway. She’s sitting at her desk working on her computer.

“Hey,” Keith starts, but hesitates as he remembers Katie’s new nickname, “Pidge.”

She looks up from her computer and frowns at Keith.

“Sometimes I hate you,” she greets.

Keith gives her a half smile and plops down into the chair on the other side of her desk. He takes in the papers and books strewn across the desk and around the room. The clicking of keyboard keys starts up again.

“Is there a reason you stopped by? This is the second time this week. You alright?” She asks, glancing up from her screen.

“Something happened today and I just needed someone to talk to about it.” Keith shrugs.

“Okay, what is it?” She prompts, leaning back in her chair.

Keith takes a deep breath in and heaves it out as a heavy sigh.

“I’m fake engaged…” Keith says and Katie’s eyebrows go up. “...to Lance.” 

“What!?” A maniacal grin makes its way onto her face and she huffs a few laughs. “How did that happen?”

“He accidentally told the apartment complex lady that we were getting married,” Keith explains.

“And you didn’t correct him?”

“He gave me stupid puppy-dog eyes! What was I supposed to do!? It’s like his dream to live there, or whatever!”

She’s openly laughing now and there are tears forming in her eyes. 

“So now we have to fake it until we hear back about this place,” Keith finishes explaining.

She lifts her hands to her face and wipes at her eyes.

“Oh god, this is too good,” she says as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. She starts typing furiously.

“What are you doing?” Keith asks, suddenly alarmed.

“Texting Shiro. Your brother must be informed about this!”

“What!? No!” Keith swipes at her phone to stop her from sending any sort of text. She squirms around and maneuvers the phone to keep it out of his reach.

“Too late. It’s done,” she says triumphantly, showing the sent message to Keith.

“Thank you for that,” he groans and flops back into his chair. “There will never be an end to the mocking.”

“Then you shouldn’t have gotten fake engaged to your roommate.”

It might be odd, but this familiar mocking banter actually makes him feel better. Keith stays several more hours and fills Katie in on the rest of the details before making his way back home.

The apartment is dark and quiet when Keith opens the door. Lance must be at work.

It’s been a long day. Keith drags himself into his room and lets sleep take him.

 

— — —

 

It’s bright. Keith winces as the sunlight streaming in from his bedroom window hits his face. He rolls over and opens his eyes.

The silence is deafening. Usually Lance is signing to the radio and doing chores on Sunday morning, but the only sound Keith hears is his own breathing.

He pushes out of bed and pulls on some sweatpants. Tentatively, Keith pokes his head into the hallway and looks around. There’s no one in sight. No sign of Lance.

Keith makes his way into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He stops short as he notices a brightly colored note attached to the coffee maker.

> _I like my coffee with hazelnut cream, sweetened, and a pinch of cinnamon._

It’s written in Lance’s casual handwriting. Keith looks around again, but sees no other sign of Lance. He furrows his eyebrows and opens the cabinet to pull out his mug.

> _I always use the same mug for my coffee. I know we have a lot of mugs in the cabinet, but the one with the blue cats is my favorite. I’ll even wash it if it’s not clean._

The note on Keith’s mug stares him in the face. This one is longer than the last. Keith pulls the mug out of the cabinet and rips the note off.

Of course Lance would leave him little notes about himself. He said they should know details about each other… Keith should have known better than to expect Lance to drop the idea.

Keith heaves a sigh as he grabs the coffee can.

> _I always use two scoops of coffee grounds and no more. I know you like it stronger, but I don’t._

This note is plastered to the lid of the can. Keith pulls the lid off, scoops the coffee grounds into the machine, fills the water basin, and turns the machine on. The rich smell of coffee fills the kitchen.

He walks to the fridge and yanks open the door. There’s another note on the container of cream.

> _I can’t think of any more coffee facts, but… did you know that I love hot chocolate? It has to be the real stuff, though. No premade packages that you mix with water._

This is starting to get annoying. Plus, Keith is starting to wonder how many notes Lance has actually left around. He’s also not sure how he feels about Lance taking this extra level of care just to make sure he knows these trivial details.

It’s only for a few weeks, though. Keith can make it through a few weeks… a few weeks of wedding planning; of meetings with that woman- Allura. A few weeks with Lance pretending to be his fiancé… it’s only a few weeks. There’s no way Keith will want to kill Lance by the end of it… right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience! I'm really excited about the next few chapters! I really hope you like this one. It's written back and forth between Keith's and Lance's perspectives.

**_Lance_ **

This has been the workday from hell.

Lance has been debating all day if he should tell Flor about the place at Altea; and whether or not to tell her about his mistake. She probably won’t be too happy about Lance being fake fiancé’s with Keith. It hasn’t really mattered, though, because he can’t seem to find any time to talk to Flor. Every time he’s free, she’s busy.

She wasn’t even free for lunch. He tried to convince her to take some time to eat, but she wouldn’t budge. Their relationship would be so much easier if he didn’t have to argue his way into them doing _anything_ together. His mom always told him that all good things are worth fighting for, but he never thought he would have to fight _this_ hard.

It would be nice if he could spend at least a few uninterrupted hours with his girlfriend. They haven’t spent time together in over two weeks, and their last date was cut short due to a work emergency in the production department - Flor’s department. Lance ended up finishing dinner by himself and then watched the movie alone because he didn’t want to waste the money.

He ate alone today, too. At lunch, he spilled his hot soup all over the table and his pants. Heads turned at all the commotion. The stain on his trousers didn’t help when he presented his new story ideas to his boss in the afternoon. Mr. Smythe promised to look them over, but Lance is sure they’ll be rejected like always.

The only positive from the day is that he had time to write Keith some more notes. Now he just needs to figure out where to put them. Keith isn’t home when Lance tumbles into the apartment. Now would be the best opportunity to find places to put them, but he’s going to change his clothes first.

Once he’s in his comfortable, and not soup stained, clothes Lance makes his way around the apartment looking for the perfect places to leave his notes. He leaves three on the bathroom mirror:

> _My favorite animal is a shark. I like all sharks, but the Angel Shark is definitely the coolest to me. It looks like a cross between a stingray and a shark! What’s not to love?_

> _If I could have any superpower, I would want to be able to fly._

> _My favorite food is Italian food! I love garlic knots! Plus, my mom makes the best garlic knots, so I get to eat them every time I go home._

One on each gaming controller: 

> _Hunk and I used to have game night every Monday before he opened his coffee shop, We would play for hours! Sometimes we’d lose track of time and stay up all night._

> _My favorite tv show growing up was MacGyver. He could fix anything! He always knew what to do._

And one near the hook where Keith always hangs his keys. 

> _I’m extremely good at laser tag. I'm bonafide sharpshooter. And I’m really good at those shooting games they have at fairs and carnivals._

It’s been a long day and Lance desperately wants to just sleep it off. He scribbles one more note before he heads off to his room for some much needed rest.

  
  


**_Keith_ **

It’s late when Keith finally makes it back home. He’s been in the college library all day working on his dissertation. By the end of the day he was starving. He picked up some fast food on his way to the apartment. He sets the bag down on the table and hangs up his keys. 

He sighs at the note he sees. ‘Sharpshooter,’ huh? Keith looks around for any sign of Lance, but doesn’t see any. He wonders how many more notes he’ll find tonight. 

He eats his dinner before doing a sweep of the apartment and shakes his head at the notes in the living room. MacGyver. Figures. 

Hesitantly, he heads down the hall toward his room. He doesn’t see any other notes, so he grabs his pajamas and heads for the bathroom. 

“Oh,” Keith murmurs. There’s the rest of the notes. He reads them, but doesn’t bother to peel them off. 

He covers a yawn with one hand and reaches to close his bedroom door with the other. His face scrunches in confusion at the crinkly texture of his doorknob. He pulls his hand away, along with a note he hadn’t noticed until now. Lance had stuck it to the inside handle. 

> _I had a rough day today. I’m going to get as much sleep as possible. We might not see each other until after you get back from work tomorrow._

Keith frowns. He shuts the door, sets his alarm for earlier than usual, and climbs into bed. 

Morning comes too soon, but Keith is up and ready and dragging himself to Hunk’s Café. The place has just opened and the smell of freshly brewed coffee is entrancing. Hunk is standing behind the counter and gives Keith a welcoming smile. 

“Good morning, Keith. You’re here early. Must be a dissertation day. Lance wouldn’t be caught dead being awake this early unless he had to be.” Hunk says. 

“Yeah,” Keith chuckles. 

“What can I get for you?” 

Keith takes a deep breath in and decides to just go for it. He can be nice and considerate, even when his roommate is driving him a bit crazy. 

“A medium coffee with hazelnut cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, a large black coffee, and a blueberry muffin. To go, please.” 

Hunk looks at Keith with raised eyebrows. “Lance’s favorites. That’s nice of you.” 

“Yeah, well, I’m a nice guy.” 

“That you are.” 

Keith hears the shower running when he gets back to the apartment. He sets the coffee and muffin down on the table before slipping out the door again. 

  
  


**_Lance_ **

Lance shrugs on some clothes and finishes getting ready. It’s going to be another long day at work. He should stop by Hunk’s before he has to clock in. His phone rings at an obnoxiously loud volume and he scrambles to answer it. 

“Hello?” 

“Lance! It’s Allura! Good morning!” 

“Uh, hi!” Lance is trying his best to sound enthusiastic, but not wake Keith if he’s still asleep. He heads away from the bedrooms and into the kitchen. 

“I was hoping we could schedule our first wedding planning session!” Allura chirps through the receiver. There’s a cup of coffee and his favorite kind of muffin on the table. 

“Uh, yeah. That sounds great.” He lifts the coffee to his nose and catches whiffs of cinnamon and hazelnut. Keith must have got this for him. A smile curves his lips as he looks at the cup. “Sounds great,” he says to whatever Allura is saying. 

“Wonderful! Tomorrow at four it is! See you then!” Lance’s heart stalls and his eyes grow wide. The line goes dead as she hangs up. 

“Shit,” Lance mumbles. He did it again. He has to stop zoning out. A text message lights up his phone with an address for tomorrow. Hopefully Keith can get off work early. 

Lance finishes this breakfast before he heads off to work. Technically he’s not scheduled for today, but any amount of experience can help him get his dream job, and he needs all the advantages he can get. 

He stops by the editing and production department to see Flor on his way in. Maybe he can convince her to go somewhere this weekend; a getaway, just the two of them. It’s been so long since they’ve had any quality time together. It’s been nothing more than afternoon hang outs and morning coffee for months. 

The door to the editing room is ajar so he pushes it open and pops his head inside. She’s in there, and she’s not alone, which isn’t unusual… but what is unusual is that she’s sitting in someone else’s lap, and they are definitely making out, with tongue. 

Lance blinks as a strange sense of calm washes over him. He didn’t expect this (how could anyone expect this?), but he also isn’t very surprised. He almost feels relieved. They’ve been drifting apart for a while now and Lance has been working so hard to make something work that obviously wasn’t. 

He snaps a picture with his phone, then turns around and walks away from the editing room. He sends her the picture along with a text saying: ‘Bye, Flor. No hard feelings.’ 

Maybe Hunk could use some company. Lance wasn’t scheduled to work today anyway. 

  
  


**_Keith_ **

Lance isn’t in the apartment when Keith gets home. There are no new notes, either. It’s still early evening so Keith decides to swing by the one place he’s sure Lance will be. 

The café is surprisingly busy at this hour. Keith pushes his way past the line and scans the tables. Lance is sitting hunched over at booth by the window. There’s an almost empty plate of doughnuts in front of him and mug that looks like it’s been refilled more than once. 

Keith lifts an eyebrow. Maybe there’s trouble in paradise. He’s never seen Lance look so glum. 

Keith slides into the seat across from Lance and picks up a chocolate covered doughnut. Lance’s eyes track the pastry across the table. 

“Hey. What’s up with you?” Keith asks, taking a bite of silky goodness. 

“Flor and I broke up.” 

“Oh.” Keith sets his doughnut down on a spare napkin. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah. She cheated on me.” Keith’s heart sinks at Lance’s level voice. “I’m just upset that I wasted so much time on her when she clearly wasn’t interested in me.” 

“Lance…” Keith isn’t really sure what to say. 

“I just feel like everything is so complicated right now.” 

This is the first time he’s even seen Lance like this, and he already knows he hates it. There’s at least one thing he can make less complicated. 

“Black, or sometimes with heavy cream. That’s how I like my coffee.” 

Lance looks up at him in confusion. “Why are you telling me your coffee order?” 

“My favorite animal is a hippo,” Keith continues. 

Lance huffs a small laugh and look back at the table. 

“I don’t really play video games. I love fast food, any kind of fast food.” 

A hint of a smile graces Lance’s face. 

“If I could have any superpower I would want super speed.” 

Lance smiles fully now. 

“And I used to watch Walker: Texas Ranger as a kid.” 

“You would,” Lance chuckles. 

“There is nothing wrong with Walker: Texas Ranger,” Keith insists, “besides, you watched MacGyver!” 

“What’s wrong with MacGyver!?” 

“Nothing’s wrong with MacGyver, you just have no place to judge!” 

“Well, I wasn’t judging!” 

A laugh bubbles out of Keith and then Lance bursts into laughter, too. It’s good to see him smile again. 

“So,” Lance says and his face grows serious again, “we have our first fake wedding planning session tomorrow at four.” 

“Tomorrow?” 

Lance grimaces. “Yeah. It kinda just happened.” 

Keith sighs. “Alright. I’ll be there. Where is it?” 

Lance looks at him with a grateful smile. “I’ll send you the address.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!


	5. Keith

Keith glances down at his phone, the address Lance sent him still displayed on the screen. He looks back up at the building and quirks his lips to the side. It’s a bakery. If that apartment lady wanted to meet at a bakery-type place, why didn’t Lance suggest Hunk’s? At least Keith knows the menu and what he likes at Hunk’s.

Keith sighs and kicks down the stand on his bike. It must be a French bakery because there are images of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe painted on the windows. He spots Lance sitting at one of the tables inside, staring down at his hands and chewing on his bottom lip.

The bell on the door chimes as Keith enters. Lance looks up and his shoulders seem to relax.

“You here early, too,” Lance remarks.

“This apartment thing is important to you,” Keith replies and slides into a chair at the table.

The bell on the door chimes again and Keith recognizes the silvery, blonde hair and chipper smile of their wedding planner. Keith takes a deep breath and strides himself. Whatever happens today, it should be interesting.

“Hello you two!” She says as she claims on of the seats. “How have you been? It’s good to see you!”

Lance looks over at him. “Uh, we’ve been good. It’s great to see you too, Allura,” he says and Keith let’s put a sigh of relief. He’d been racking his brain since this morning trying to remember her name.

“Let’s jump right to business. Have you planned anything yet?”

Keith and Lance look at each other. Keith turns back to Allura and shakes his head.

“No?” She asks. “Size? Theme? Colors?”

More head shaking. Allura glances down at their hands.

“Do you have rings?”

“Uh,” Lance laughs nervously, “the engagement was sort of spur of the moment.”

“I see,” she says. “Well, we’ll have time to figure all that out. For now, why don’t focus on some of the fun stuff?”

“Alright,” Lance says, releasing a breath. 

“Sounds good,” Keith chimes.

Allura smiles. “The reason I wanted to meet here is because this place makes the best cakes! And I called ahead to have them prepare a sampler for us!”

It’s like she has this choreographed or something, because as soon as she says that someone brings a huge tray of cakes to their table. It looks delicious. Keith immediately spots red velvet and lemon. There’s a green tinted one too that catches his eye. Lance seems to be drooling over the vanilla cake with the chocolate filling.

Keith picks up a fork and snags a bite of the lemon. It has an amazing sweet cream filling and a light frosting. Allura wasn’t lying. This cake is really good.

“So, tell me a little bit about yourselves,” Allura prompts as they taste the various cakes. “What did your dream wedding look like as a child?”

Lance’s eyes go distant. “Big,” he says.

“Small,” Keith murmurs.

Allura looks between them. “Okay,” she says diplomatically, and gives them a nod to continue.

Lance looks at Keith, there’s a nervous glint in his eyes again.

“Uh, I always thought it would be outside,” Keith supplies. Lance’s eyes spark with excitement.

“Me too!” He says.

“Alright. That’s good!” Allura chimes. “What else? What about time of day?”

“I always pictured getting married in the morning,” Lance says.

Keith purses his lips. “Evening,” he says.

Allura looks at them thoughtfully. “What about a morning ceremony and an evening reception? Would something like that work?”

Lance bites his lip and looks at Keith.

Keith takes a bite of the green-tinted cake. It’s interesting. It’s light and tastes like lavender and some sort of tea, chamomile maybe. He considers Allura’s compromise, then has to keep himself from scoffing or shaking his head. This is a fake wedding! It’s not like it really matters!

“That could work,” Keith answers calmly. Lance nods his agreement.

“Wonderful!” Allura beams at them. “See? There’s several things planned already!”

Keith smiles. He’d been caught up in the atmosphere and the cake, and even his own discomfort, when they’d first sat down; and sure, Lance just went through a breakup and Keith wants to go easy on him for a bit, but that doesn’t mean he can’t mess with Lance while they’re here. Lance did get them into this situation in the first place. He reaches out and wraps his hand around Lance’s free one. Lance nearly drops his fork. “I can’t wait to plan the rest.”

“Me either,” Allura chimes and gestures to the cakes in from of them. “Are there any cakes that you love?”

“Well I really like the lemon,” Keith says, “what about you, sweetheart?”

Lance narrows his eyes at Keith. “You didn’t even try the carrot cake! Here.”

“I don’t-” Keith is cut off as Lance shoves a bite of cake in his mouth. He tries not to think about the fact that that fork has been in Lance’s mouth, too. “Mmm,” he manages, despite the fact that he can barely stand carrot cake.

“Oops,” Lance chuckles. “Got you a bit there.” He reaches out and swipes at the frosting on Keith’s lips with his thumb. Keith’s heart stutters as Lance pops the thumb in his mouth and licks it clean then turns back to Allura. “I liked the vanilla.”

“Vanilla and lemon can go well together,” Allura suggests. Lance makes a face.

“This wedding is for both of us, babe,” Keith says with a forced smile. “It should feel like both of us. And have things that _both_ of us want.”

Lance sighs and glares at the table. “Fine. I- I liked the red velvet one, too. I saw you take a couple bites of that one, so…”

Allura looks at Keith. “Red velvet sounds fine,” he agrees.

“Alright. As soon as we have a date, we can place an order.” She glances down at her watch and frowns. “I have to go to another appointment, but let’s meet again next week. Does this same time work?”

Lance nods as Keith says, “I can make it work.”

“Great!” She chimes. “I’ll send you an address!”

As soon as Allura leaves the bakery, Keith turns and hisses at Lance. “What the hell was that?”

Lance looks at him incredulously. “What? What _I_ did? What about what _you_ did?”

“I was just trying to sell it! I didn’t practically lick frosting off your face!”

“I didn’t lick it off your face,” Lance scoffs indignantly.

“Whatever.” Sometimes Lance makes him so… he doesn’t even know; and he really wants to leave, but he glances down at all the cake in front of them.

“Do you want to finish this cake?” Lance asks, staring at the tray as well.

“Sure, but you’re eating the carrot cake.”

Lance snickers and picks up a fork.

 

— — —

 

Keith speeds down the street, weaving in between cars as he races to their second meeting. He’s already forty minutes late because his replacement at work got a flat tire and didn’t show up on time. The past week was a blur. It was like Keith blinked and it was over.

He pulls into the parking lot and leaps off his bike. He checks the address once and walks up to the door. It’s a small shop. There are mannequins wearing suits and formal dresses in the windows, even some wedding dresses. Keith opens the door and his eyes immediately find Lance, standing on a little round platform, fiddling with the buttons of a collared shirt. He’s wearing nice grey slacks and shiny black shoes.

Allura is sitting at a table off to the side, observing as the shop owner takes some more measurements. She turns when she hears the door chime and smiles at Keith.

“Sorry I’m late,” Keith says.

Lance’s head shoots up and he gives Keith a relieved expression.

“It’s not a problem,” Allura chirps with a smile. “We’ve just been chatting about wedding styles and themes while Lance tried on some suits.”

Keith looks in Lance’s direction again. He’s standing with his arms held out at his sides. The shop owner runs a cloth measuring tape along the underside of his arms.

“Oh yeah? Any progress?” Keith asks.

“I have a couple ideas for you two, but nothing solid yet,” Allura responds. She pushes a large binder across the table at Keith. “You can look through the idea book if you want.”

Keith stares at it as he sits down. He flips open the front cover. Inside are pictures upon pictures of weddings of all different sizes and styles, indoor and out in nature, with all kinds of color combinations. Keith laughs bit at a couple who got married in camouflage themed clothes.

“Do you have a theme in mind, Keith?” Allura asks as he thumbs through the pages of photos.

“Umm, not really?” Keith says, studying a wedding that had a stack of doughnuts as a wedding cake.

Allura hums in response. “Anything catch your eye yet?”

The door to the dressing room creaks. Keith looks up as Lance emerges in his normal clothes, takes a few steps, and then flops onto the ground with arms and legs splayed. Keith chuckles.

The man with the measuring tape waves him over. Keith flips back a few pages in the book and pushes it in Allura’s direction. “I kinda like that one,” he says, then gets up to stand on the platform.

The man takes some basic measurements, then disappears into the back. When he comes back he has several items of clothing draped over his arm. He ushers Keith inside the dressing room and leaves him to change.

The pants are stiff and itchy, and the same grey color as the ones Lance had on earlier. The shirt has been pressed so much Keith thinks it could probably stand on its own. He finds himself pulling at the collar as he stands back on the platform.

The tailor takes some more measurements, writing numbers down on a small notepad.

“You look nice,” Lance says from his spot on the floor.

“Thanks. You did too. The fabric is making me itch, though,” Keith says and the tailor huffs.

Lance chuckles. “It made me itch, too.”

Keith smiles. The last time he heard Lance laugh was at their last appointment. It’s good to see him relax a bit. Maybe Keith should try to make these times more fun. It certainly couldn’t hurt, right?

After Keith has changed back into his normal clothes, Allura leads them into a shop next door. The walls are covered in all kinds of paper in every color imaginable. They sit at a table in the middle of the room and Keith’s eyes glaze over as Allura starts talking about wedding invitations. Lance lights up, though, and Keith can’t help but notice the way his smile curves on his face, the way his eyes start to sparkle, the way his shoulders seem to lift as if he’s been relieved of a heavy load.

Keith knows Lance’s break up has been weighing on him, even if he tries hard not to show it. He always puts up such a strong front. It’s nice to see him actually enjoying himself. Lance asks Keith’s opinion several times, but choosing stationary is the last thing Keith cares about. Instead, he nods and hums agreeably to whatever Lance seems to show interest in. He even throws in a few ‘Whatever you want, babe’ statements, just for show.

Eventually Lance chooses something he likes and Allura places a preliminary order with the ship owner. They still need to pick a date for this fake wedding after all.

“I didn’t realize you were so fond of stationary,” Keith comments.

Lance smiles. “My sister got me into it. She used to make all her own cards and special gift boxes. She was into all that ‘prim and proper’ stuff too, like formal place settings and fancy party tables. She would compete at state fairs. She’d make place cards and even her own menus for stuff like that.”

“I have no idea what any of that means, or that any of that was even a thing…” Keith trails off.

Lance chuckles. “Yeah. My sister is anything but ordinary.” His face falls. “She always succeeded at anything she put her mind to, still does.”

Keith frowns and opens his mouth to speak, to try to turn Lance’s mood around. He’s not sure how that gloomy rain cloud over his head appeared so fast, but he wants it to go away. He doesn’t get the chance, though, because Allura comes back to their table.

She starts talking immediately about scheduling their next appointment. Morning this time, if they can make it. Keith nods. He’s barely registering the conversation. He’s keeping his eyes on Lance, on the shadows clouding his eyes, on his small frown, on the weight pressing down his shoulders. It’s such a complete reversal from earlier, and Keith hates it.

He thinks about it as he gets on his bike to leave, and all the way to Hunk’s. He knows Lance went straight home, but Keith feels compelled to stop and get his favorite order, if only to cheer him up just a little. He’s still thinking Lance’s shift in mood as he’s swings open the door to their apartment.

Lance is laying on the couch scrolling through Netflix. “Hey, I thought for sure you’d get here before me,” he says.

Keith gently kicks the door closed and walks into the room. “I made a stop along the way.”

“Oh,” is Lance’s only response.

Keith sets the coffee and blueberry muffin down on the table in front of Lance. Lance’s gaze bounces between the food and Keith, surprise clearly written on his face.

“You stopped at Hunk’s?”

“You seemed like you could use a pick me up,” Keith says, sliding into the side chair.

Lance lifts the coffee cup to his face and breathes in the smell of the contents. A small smile curves Keith’s lips. It’s something he’s seen Lance do every time he gets coffee. That sparkle is back when Lance looks at Keith again. “Thanks,” he murmurs.

“It’s nothing,” Keith assures, then hesitates. He’s thought about this next part the whole way home. “About what you said, at the stationary place…”

Lance’s expression darkens again. “Keith, can we not?”

Keith presses on. “I know things have been rough lately, and I know you might be feeling…” Keith fumbles around for the right word.

“Not good enough?” Lance supplies bitterly.

Keith frowns. “That wasn’t exactly what I was gonna say.”

Lance scowls and looks down at his cup.

“You know, I don’t make friends easily. I don’t know if you knew that, but it’s true.” A smile rises on Keith’s face. “You make it easy, Lance. I’ve never met anyone who can be as encouraging and inspirational as you.”

Lance stares at him, expressionless.

Keith shrugs a shoulder. “I just wanted to say, no matter what anyone else says, you’re a success in my book. You will always be _more_ than ‘good enough’.”

Lance’s mouth falls open slightly as his lips part.

Keith gets up from his spot. “Enjoy your food,” he says, then heads to his room to work on his dissertation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Just a heads up. My overall writing style has changed and improved since I started writing this. I'm applying some of those differences to this fic already, but I will most likely edit the whole thing and republish it at some point.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. This is a work in progress. If you have any comments or questions, let me know!


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